The Phi Kappa Literary Society is a college literary society, located at the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

Athens, Georgia Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the sta ...

, and is one of the few active

literary societies A literary society is a group of people interested in literature. In the modern sense, this refers to a society that wants to promote one genre of writing or a specific author. Modern literary societies typically promote research, publish newsle ...

left in America. Founded in 1820, the society continues to meet every academic Thursday of the fall and spring semesters at 7 pm at Phi Kappa Hall on the University of Georgia's North Campus.About
section of official Phi Kappa website. Last accessed 2014-06-10. The Phi Kappa Literary Society holds formal debates and a forum for creative writings and orations as well as poetry.

History

Formation

The society was founded by Joseph Henry Lumpkin, William Crabbe, Homer V. Howard, Stern Simmons, John G. Rutherford, and John D. Watkins. They formed the society after splitting from the

Demosthenian Literary Society The Demosthenian Literary Society is a literary society focused on extemporaneous debate at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. It is among the oldest literary societies in the English-Speaking world and was founded on February 19, 1803 by ...

, dissatisfied with how the other society's meetings were being conducted. As Phi Kappa grew larger, makeshift meeting places were no longer appropriate or useful. Through funding provided by member

Alexander Stephens Alexander Hamilton Stephens (February 11, 1812 – March 4, 1883) was an American politician who served as the vice president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865, and later as the 50th governor of Georgia from 1882 until his death in 1 ...

, the Phi Kappa Literary Society moved into its permanent residence at Phi Kappa Hall. Phi Kappa Hall was built at a cost of $5,000 and dedicated on July 5, 1836. It is the seventh-oldest building on the University of Georgia's campus, and the Phi Kappa Literary Society currently shares use of the building with the Georgia Debate Union.History
section of Phi Kappa's official website. Last accessed 2014-06-10.

Refounding

The Phi Kappa Literary Society has disbanded and reformed many times in its history. The first occurrence was in 1863 due to student enlistment in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, which left only five members remaining. Meetings resumed on January 5, 1866. The society flourished in the early 1900s, participating in numerous collegiate debate competitions as well as sending members to compete in international collegiate debate contests. However, a drop in student enrollment due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

caused the society to disband again in 1944, and an extremely polarized atmosphere in the society and the university as a whole pulled the Phi Kappa Literary Society apart, seemingly for the final time, in 1973. After sporadic, unsuccessful attempts to revive Phi Kappa, in 1991, Stephanie Hendricks took an interest into the society after prompting from Thomas Peter Allen and was elected as its new president on January 31, 1991. Thirteen new members were inducted shortly thereafter, and the first meeting of the newly refounded society took place on February 14, 1991 in Phi Kappa Hall.

Debates and programs

In order to become a member of the Phi Kappa Literary Society, a University of Georgia student must petition the society for membership, which is a five-week process that culminates in the student delivering a petitioning speech before the society. The student must then be accepted by a vote of the society. Once a student is a full member of Phi Kappa, they must speak at least once every three weeks to maintain membership.

Weekly debates

Each academic Thursday, Phi Kappa holds a pre-planned debate centered around a resolution in the format of "Be It Hereby Resolved." Two pre-selected speakers start off the debate with one speech in affirmation of the resolution and one in the negation. These speakers have seven minutes to deliver their speech while all subsequent speakers are limited to five minutes each. The president facilitates the debate, calling on each new speaker until the society is ready to vote. A majority vote of the society decides the winner of each debate. The society abides by

Robert%27s Rules of Order ''Robert's Rules of Order'', often simply referred to as ''Robert's Rules'', is a manual of parliamentary procedure by U.S. Army officer Henry Martyn Robert. "The object of Rules of Order is to assist an assembly to accomplish the work for whic ...

for their meeting procedures.

Creative writings and orations

The weekly main debate is followed by an open forum for creative writings and orations. In this section of the meeting, both members and guests can deliver any creative writings they may wish to share, pre-prepared speeches outside of the realms of debate, or extemporaneous speeches.

Intrasociety Debate

Each fall, Phi Kappa holds an Intrasociety Debate between active members and alumni. Active members and alumni form teams of five and prepare a debate based on a resolution, with about a month of preparation time. The resolution is chosen in alternating years by actives or alumni. One team speaks in affirmation of the resolution, and one team speaks in negation of it. The debate is separated into three parts: constructive, rebuttal, and summation. Upon conclusion of the debate, a panel of judges (also made up of active and alumni members) select the winner.

Intersociety Debate

Traditionally, each spring, a competitive debate is held between Phi Kappa and their rival society, Demosthenian. This long-standing debate has roots reaching back at least to the 1920s, when it was known as the "Champion Debate." In the modern era, this debate takes a similar form as the Intrasociety Debate, with a team of five debaters from each society arguing for or against an agreed upon resolution. Each team provides alternating constructive, rebuttal, and summation arguments, and the winning team is determined by evaluation from a panel of judges, who are usually university faculty members.

Phi Kappa Declamation

In the spring, Phi Kappa holds the Phi Kappa Declamation, wherein members aim to give their absolute best possible speech from a list of pre-selected topics. This is the most honored practice of the year, emphasizing impeccable rhetoric, writing, and floor presence of the speaker. The Declamation was first introduced in 1994, shortly after the refounding of Phi Kappa. It was previously known as the Alexander Stephens Declamation until Phi Kappa members voted to rename the event in 2019.

Campus involvement

The Phi Kappa Literary Society often collaborates with other on-campus and off-campus groups to hold special events. In 2011, members of Phi Kappa participated in a debate versus the renowned

Oxford Union The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford England, whose membership is drawn primarily from the University of Oxford. Founded in 1823, it is one of Britain's oldest ...

,Official blog
of UGA news. Last accessed 2014-06-10. and in 2013, Phi Kappa sponsored a debate between the Communist Party USA and the

Libertarian Party of Georgia Founded in 1971, The Libertarian Party of Georgia is a state affiliate of the United States Libertarian Party. Executive committee The executive committe in 2017 consisted of four members. Candidates Notable candidates include John Monds's ru ...

.News
section of official Phi Kappa website. Last accessed 2014-06-10. The Phi Kappa Literary Society also maintains a close relationship with The

Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies The Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies, commonly known as DiPhi or The Societies, are the original collegiate debating societies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and together comprise the oldest student organization at the Uni ...

at UNC-Chapel Hill.Announcements
section of the DiPhi official website. Last accessed 2014-06-10. Their closest tie to another student organization is their 202-year-long rivalry with the

. Until 2019, each spring semester Phi Kappa would debate the rival society in the Intersociety Debate. However, in November 2019 the societies revised their intersociety agreement and eliminated the Intersociety Debate. Phi Kappa instead debated Georgetown's Philodemic Society in 2021 before renegotiating the intersociety agreement with Demosthenian and reinstituting the Intersociety Debate in 2022. Besides this competetive debate, the societies continue to meet for a non-competetive Intersociety Meeting each fall.News
section of official Phi Kappa website. Last accessed 2014-06-10.

Notable alumni

* Morris B. Abram, founder of UN Watch; Permanent US Ambassador to UN *

Augustus O. Bacon Augustus Octavius Bacon (October 20, 1839February 14, 1914) was a Confederate soldier, segregationist, and U.S. politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a U.S. Senator from Georgia, becoming the first Senator to be directly ele ...

, United States Senator, President Pro Tempore * Francis S. Bartow, Confederate Congressman, Confederate General * Henry L. Benning, Confederate General, eponym of Fort Benning * Eugene Robert Black, Chairman of the Federal Reserve *

Howell Cobb Howell Cobb (September 7, 1815 – October 9, 1868) was an American and later Confederate political figure. A southern Democrat, Cobb was a five-term member of the United States House of Representatives and the speaker of the House from 184 ...

, Secretary of U.S. Treasury, Constitutional Convention Chairman of the Confederate States of America *

Thomas Reade Rootes Cobb Thomas Reade Rootes Cobb (April 10, 1823 – December 13, 1862) was an American lawyer, author, politician, and Confederate States Army officer, killed in the Battle of Fredericksburg during the American Civil War. He was the brother of noted ...

, Confederate General; editor of the first Georgia Code * Norman S. Fletcher, Chief Justice, Georgia Supreme Court 2001-2005 * Henry W. Grady, editor of the ''Atlanta Constitution''; voice of the "New South" Movement * Phil Gramm, US Senator from Texas * Thomas W. Hardwick, US Senator from Georgia * Nathaniel Harris, Governor of Georgia, founder of Georgia Institute of Technology *

Clark Howell Clark Howell (September 21, 1863 – November 14, 1936) was a Pulitzer Prize winning American newspaper man and politician from the state of Georgia. For fifty-three years, he was editorial executive and owner of ''The Atlanta Constituti ...

, Pulitzer Prize-winning editor of the ''Atlanta Constitution''; founder of WGST 920 AM radio station; namesake of Georgia Institute of Technology's Howell Hall * Herschel V. Johnson, Governor of Georgia, 1860 Democratic Party vice-presidential nominee * Robert Lipshutz, White House Counsel from 1977 to 1979 during the Jimmy Carter administration * Joseph Henry Lumpkin, First Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Georgia;Notable alumni
section of official Phi Kappa website. Last accessed 2012-01-27. co-founder of the

University of Georgia School of Law The University of Georgia School of Law (Georgia Law) is the law school of the University of Georgia, a public research university in Athens, Georgia. It was founded in 1859, making it among the oldest American university law schools in continuous ...

Sam Massell Samuel A. Massell Jr. (August 26, 1927 – March 13, 2022) was an American businessman and politician who served from 1970 to 1974 as the 53rd mayor of Atlanta, Georgia. He was the first Jewish mayor in the city's history and the most recent no ...

, Mayor of Atlanta * Richard B. Russell Jr., US Senator from Georgia, President pro tempore of the United States Senate *

Carl Sanders Carl Edward Sanders Sr. (May 15, 1925 – November 16, 2014) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 74th Governor of the state of Georgia from 1963 to 1967. Early life and education Carl Sanders was born on May 15, 1925 in ...

, Governor of Georgia, United States Senator, President Pro Tempore *

, Vice-President of the Confederate States of America, United States Representative *

Eugene Talmadge Eugene Talmadge (September 23, 1884 – December 21, 1946) was an attorney and American politician who served three terms as the 67th governor of Georgia, from 1933 to 1937, and then again from 1941 to 1943. Elected to a fourth term in November ...

, Governor of Georgia * William Tate, University of Georgia Dean of Men *

Ernest Vandiver Samuel Ernest Vandiver Jr. (July 3, 1918 – February 21, 2005) was an American politician who was the 73rd Governor of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1959 to 1963. Early life and career Vandiver was born in Canon in Franklin County in northe ...

, Governor of Georgia, State Adjutant General

Other historic societies

* The

The University of Georgia ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

* The

of the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

* The

Philomathean Society The Philomathean Society of the University of Pennsylvania is a collegiate literary society, the oldest student group at the university, and a claimant to the title of the oldest continuously-existing literary society in the United States.This cl ...

of the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

* The

Philolexian Society The Philolexian Society of Columbia University is one of the oldest college literary and debate societies in the United States, and the oldest student group at Columbia. Founded in 1802, the Society aims to "improve its members in Oratory, Compo ...

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

* The Philodemic Society of

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

* The

Washington Literary Society and Debating Union The Washington Literary Society and Debating Union (also known as "the Washington Society" or "the Wash") is a literary and debating group at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. While its current incarnation is modern, the society has r ...

and

Jefferson Literary and Debating Society The Jefferson Literary and Debating Society (commonly known "Jeff Soc") is the oldest continuously existing collegiate debating society in North America, having been founded on July 14, 1825, in Room Seven, West Lawn. Named after founder of the U ...

of the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

* The

Union-Philanthropic (Literary) Society The Union-Philanthropic (Literary) Society (UPLS) is a college literary society at Hampden-Sydney College Hampden Sydney is a census-designated place (CDP) in Prince Edward County, Virginia, Prince Edward County, Virginia, United States. The po ...

of Hampden–Sydney College * The American Whig–Cliosophic Society of

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

References

{{reflist

External links

*Thomas G. Dyer's ''The University of Georgia: A Bicentennial History'' *T.W. Reed's ''History of the University of Georgia''
Phi Kappa Literary Society websiteOfficial UGA blogOfficial SPIA blogDiPhi websiteOnline Athens
1820 establishments in the United States College literary societies in the United States Student debating societies University of Georgia